Page 141 - 2020 Travel Guide to California

The range is home to three national
parks, 15 state parks, two national monu-
ments and 20 officially designated
wilderness areas. Hikers get itchy feet at the
mere mention of its celebrated walking
paths: the John Muir Trail; the Tahoe Rim
Trail; the Pacific Crest Trail; the Tahoe-Yose-
mite Trail. At the drop of winter’s first
snowflake, skiers begin making plans for
the three premier ski resorts on America’s
West Coast: Squaw Valley (site of the 1960
Winter Olympics), Heavenly and Mammoth
Mountain. Streams rushing down the
range’s sheer east slope into the Owens
Valley are renowned for their fly fishing.
Geographically speaking, the mountain
range is pretty much one big chunk of gra-
nite tilted like a badly placed brick in a
cobblestone street: It’s gently sloped on the
west side and quite steep on the east, lower
in the north and higher in the south. Keep
that in mind when choosing a hiking trail:
for an easier amble, look to the north and
west; for a challenging ascent, head south
and east.
City & Town
Now connected by gondola to the Heavenly
ski resort, the bustling town of South Lake
Tahoe, located on the lakeshore and the
Nevada border, has seen an injection of
energy and interest in recent years, with
new restaurants, shops and galleries. With
a large inventory of hotel rooms and a clu-
ster of hotel-casinos just a few steps over
the border, it’s a good bet for inexpensive
SPECIAL
»
EVENTS 2020
“LIGHTS ON THE LAKE,” held each Fourth of July at South Lake Tahoe, is the largest
synchronized fireworks show west of the Mississippi. July 4 tahoesouth.com
With past participants such as Justin Timberlake, Steph Curry and Michael Jordan, South Lake
Tahoe’s AMERICAN CENTURY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP has been called the “Super Bowl
of Celebrity Sports.” July 7-12 americancenturychampionship.com
The hundreds of Hollywood westerns and other movies filmed in and around Lone Pine, from
1925’s Riders of the Purple Sage to 2008’s Ironman, are celebrated by the LONE PINE FILM
FESTIVAL. Oct. 8-11 lonepinefilmfestival.org
»
MUST
SEE,
DO
» Oldest Trees Bristlecone pines growing
high in the White Mountains are the world’s
oldest trees, some surviving nearly 5,000 years.
To visit them, follow Highway 168 for 26 miles
east from the town of Big Pine. An easy, mile-long
trail winds through the Schulman Grove.
› bishopvisitor.com/activities/bristlecone-forest
» Climbing “California’s Everest” At
14,495-feet, Mount Whitney is the highest summit
in the lower 48 states. It is also, surprisingly, the
most frequently climbed peak in California—
thanks to a well-graded, 11-mile trail to the top.
Very fit hikers make it up and down in one long,
arduous day. Sounds tough, but it’s so popular
there’s a lottery for the coveted permits.
› nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/whitney.htm
» Mountain Hamlet The picturesque town
of Markleeville (pop. 210) is the largest metropolis
in Alpine County, California’s least populated
county. It makes a great base for fishing excur-
sions and for soaking up the Sierra’s version of fall
colors—the turning of the aspens.
› alpinecounty.com/area-info/markleeville-woodfords
» The Wild, Wild West Possibly the Old
West’s most notorious mining town, Bodie now
exists in a state of “arrested decay” on a high,
windswept plain northeast of Yosemite. It’s one of
America’s most extensive ghost towns.
› www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
» Lake Tahoe Salmon Run Salmon in Lake
Tahoe? Yes, every autumn the kokanee salmon
congregate by the thousands at the mouth of
Taylor Creek on the south shore to make their
spawning run upstream, drawing bears and mer-
gansers to dine, and people to look on in awe. The
site also has interpretive paths and a sunken
aquarium that suggests you’ve descended
beneath the surface of the creek itself.
› facebook.com/TaylorCreekVisitorCenter
CANOEING beneath the Sierra ramparts,
left; hiking in Yosemite National Park
with Half Dome, opposite.
2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 139